# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1857_S61
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

61

Church-Contemporary Matters.

I. America.

Texas. The following is written by a certain Mr. Scherer, an American-Lutheran
native missionary in Columbus, Texas, on November 23, 1856: "Dear Brother
Kurtz. — I am very glad about Dr. Schmucker's Defense of American Lutheranism.
It is a timely production and will, as I hope, do much good even here in Texas.
— Our German preachers are all symbolists, so far sunk into it that they cannot
touch anything in the form of a church or a school that does not stand on the
firm basis of the symbolical books, without soiling their fingers with heresy.
It pleases me nevertheless to know that some among the hearers think for
themselves, and are unwilling to be bound to read and understand the Bible
according to the symbols; and I do not doubt that, if the gentleman Doctor's
book could be circulated in their own language, they would not only read it,
but would also profit much thereby. I hope the gentleman Doctor will soon
have it issued in the German language. From these remarks you will readily
perceive how highly necessary it is that we should have more American-
Lutheran preachers among us; the young Germans are unwilling to swallow the
"hard-shelled principles," and if we do not provide them with spiritual
nourishment, they will attach themselves to other denominations, or to none
at all." We rejoice from the heart at this fine testimony which this
gentleman here gives to the German-Lutheran preachers in Texas.

"Der Evangelist," this German-Reformed sheet published in Tiffin, Ohio,
writes in its issue of January 1 of this year, concerning the Lutherans who
will not hold communion fellowship with the Reformed: "Those Lutherans
declare all who do not believe" (in the pure doctrine of the Holy Supper)
"to be false Christians, in that they refuse them the fellowship of the
church. We indeed can console ourselves over this, for the Lord knows His
own, but we tremble for the Lutheran Church." (The poor Evangelist!) "From
one degree to another their spiritual pride climbs." (Dreadful!) "Already
it is no longer enough for them to condemn all non-Lutherans as
non-Christians" (where, indeed, has the Evangelist seen such wicked
Lutherans? — Perhaps in a midsummer night's dream.), "already they are
beginning to deny one another the fellowship of the New Testament in the
cup and the bread (!). We pray, however, for them" (is that true?) "that
the Lord may lead them back to right humility" (so then were they once
humble already? — since when?) "that they may not exalt themselves in
their own knowledge, but recognize that no human confession or doctrine is
perfect" (aha! so that's where it lies? — the Evangelist, then, is also a
skeptic, who says: Ah, what is truth? Who dares say that he possesses it?
—) "and infallible. And for ourselves we would be warned by this example
not to despise those who think differently, but always to search out
where the right truth in Jesus Christ may be found." — Our counsel is
that the reverend Evangelist first study a little the doctrine of the
Church; then he will no longer confuse the refusal of altar fellowship
with condemnation to hell.

"Revival Preachers." "Der fröhliche Botschafter," organ of the "United
Brethren in Christ," writes in its issue of January 8 of this year: "Elder
Knapp is known as a great revival preacher among the Baptists; success,
however, seems to have spoiled him, as it has, unfortunately, already
spoiled many others; a correspondent of the Morning Star — a newspaper of
the Freewill Baptists — who recently heard him, says of him: First, un—

...where the will inclines.) — "Alii vocant libertatem interiorem — aliis
dicitur libertas in subjecto. Haec libertas quum sit naturalis atque
essentialis a Deo indita voluntati proprietas, per lapsum non est amissa.
Substantia hominis non periit" etc. (From Matthew 23:37: "Ye would not" —
the term therefore holds that: "quod mali non possint boni esse, non facit
aliqua coacta, sed voluntas obstinata in malo.")
[Latin retained as printed — the quoted matter from Gerhard and the closing gloss.]